38 weeks

So, Olivia could make her appearance anytime now - tomorrow or in three weeks (I hope not!). Not knowing when she is going to get here is hard. I'm trying to keep myself busy to make the time go by faster.

Other than the fact that I have had a bad cold since this weekend, I can't really complain about anything pregnancy-related. Sleeping is difficult as I am up about every hour to pee, but, oh well.  I'm pretty sure the extra peeing is due to the fact that she has dropped and is now pressing on my bladder even more than before.

My midwife told me they would let me go a week and a half past my due date before inducing me which could put her arrival around October 8. I'm hoping for a September baby though. I'm partial to that month! :) I will go for an appointment next week at 39 weeks and again the week after that for 40 weeks. If there's still no baby at that point, then I will come in twice a week and have a non-stress test and they will see how she is doing. They want things to happen as naturally as possible before they intervene.

I'm a little worried about showing up to the hospital when I actually do go into labor and getting sent back home. They tell you to wait until your contractions are five minutes apart, lasting a minute each for at least an hour. However, I've heard from a few friend of mine that even if that's the case and you show up and you're only dilated 3 or 4 centimeters, they might send you back home. That would stink!

Tonight, Leslee, Erin, my mom, and I are headed to Mama DiSalvo's for dinner. You might remember that about 6 months ago the four of us were going to do the same thing, but Leslee went into labor that day and we never got around to having that dinner. The funny thing is that the reason we were going to go there in the first place is that my parents and Leslee's parents had dinner there the night Leslee's mom (Erin) went into labor. Since the mere suggestion of going there was enough for Leslee, I'm hoping that it has some magical powers. We shall see!  I will be sure to keep you posted if anything exciting happens!

Chugging right along!

As of today I am 36 weeks and 5 days...so, almost 37 weeks. I can't believe that on Tuesday when I am 37 weeks, Olivia will be considered full term and could come (safely) at any time. I am so curious about what she is going to look like, how big she will, how much she will weigh, etc., etc. It's hard to believe that in a mere 23days (or so) I will get to find out.

At my doctor's appointment last week, my midwife was listening to her heartbeat and she kept wiggling around, which she usually does. I guess because of her high heart-rate and the fact that she's such a wiggle-worm, my midwife commented that she was "hyper" and that I will "have my hands full." That's fine with me. I'd rather have a hyper, active baby than a quiet one, especially while she's inside me.

This weekend we have had amazing fall-like weather and I couldn't be more excited! I have been so hot all summer long so these cooler temperatures feel heavenly. The only problem now is that for the next 3 weeks or so I don't have any pants that are comfortable/fit. It looks like I'm going to have to invest in at least one pair of maternity jeans to tide me over. With shirts I can probably make do.

Time is going by a little faster these days. While my parents were out of town for Labor Day weekend, Yusaku put in all new Ikea cabinets in their kitchen. I "supervised," offered moral support, cleaned up the leftover debris, and tried to help in some small ways. Yusaku did all the hard work, of course, and it looks great! I can't wait to see my parents' reaction when they come back home.

The plans for the rest of the weekend entail buying myself a new pair of jeans, hopefully getting a new/fixed phone, watching the Holiday at Home parade tomorrow, and just enjoying the beautiful weather. Tuesday I will be heading out to Precious Blood (now Mother Maria Anna Brunner, although I can't get used to calling it that) to volunteer in the morning and to my doctor's appointment in the afternoon.

Yusaku will be traveling this coming week Tuesday to Thursday but should be home after that for good, which makes me happy considering Olivia could show up any time in the next few weeks and I'd really like him to be here for that.  I'm really looking forward to the Greek festival next weekend, mostly just because I love the food! :)

I think that's the end of my rambling! Will update soon!

35 weeks and 35 days to go!

Not much to update since last week. Things are moving right along. The newest thing is that I'm pretty sure I felt an actual foot when I was feeling her move on my right side. It was so strange...it was small and just the right size for a foot poking out of my side.

I am starting to go crazy sitting around the house. Yusaku left for Texas Sunday for work and won't come back until September 1st, which is making time pass even slower. I sent an email to all my former co-workers at school asking if I could please come out and help them over the next month. I am dying to see everyone, be productive, and leave my house.

It looks like it's going to work out and I plan to head out Friday for the first time. This only the first week of school, so I'm sure things are crazy for them, but hopefully by next week, I can work out some sort of volunteering schedule. The only strange thing is there is a new principal and I haven't contacted her yet about my plan. I am hoping she will be okay with it, otherwise I don't know what I will do.

I'm tired of sitting around and relaxing and I know someday soon, I will wish I could do that, but right now it is so boring. I just want to make the next 5 weeks go by quickly and for Olivia to get here! I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday of next week and then every week after from there on out. Will update after my appointment!

34 weeks (and 1 day)

All is going well. Only 6 weeks to go! I had my doctor's appointment on Monday. Her heartbeat was high as usual (high 150's to 160) and the midwife said she was "a hyper little girl." Some days she is more "hyper" than others. I think it was Sunday that she was jumping around all day.

I asked the midwife if she could tell from measuring me (which she does at every appointment) and pushing around on my stomach, about how big she is. She says she's normal/on-track and probably weighs around 4 lbs. or so.  Each week that goes by I worry less about her coming early because, at this point, even if she came right now, she would be okay. Her lungs are developed and she would just be a little small if she came now. I am also getting more anxious/excited with each passing week to meet her. I can't wait to see what she looks like and get to know her.

Yusaku and I have picked up the rest of the baby gear we "need," including a bassinet, swing, bouncy seat, breast bump, and stroller. This is great, because I feel more prepared knowing we have everything.  However, we have quickly realized that we are running out of space. We have switched the couches that were in the sun room with the ones that were in the front room and have decided to get rid of our big red chair to give us a little more space. I know this is just a sign of things to come. We will just continue to accumulate more stuff, which means either our house will begin to overflow or we'll need to find other things to get rid of to make room.  Eventually, we're going to need to move into a bigger house...especially when we're ready for Baby #2 someday. In the meantime, we can deal with the clutter because once Olivia arrives I'm sure we won't really care.

33 Week Update and Baby Shower Pics

As of today, I am 33 weeks along. That means only 7 more weeks (49 days) to go! Woo hoo! My babycenter.com update says that Olivia should be weighing just over 4 lbs. and should be at least 17 in. long by now. The bigger I get, the more eager I am to no longer be pregnant. I also feel like I will just be relieved (and, of course, excited too) once she's outside of me because then I can see her and know what's going on. Right now, I just wish I could see here and know everything is okay.

I'm getting a little more uncomfortable these days thanks in part to the unbearable heat and the fact that I am getting bigger by the day. My latest pregnancy symptoms are achy, numb, tingly hands, fingers, and wrists and sore, swollen ankles. Apparently, the hand/wrist issue is due to carpal tunnel syndrome and is normal at this point in pregnancy. The swollen ankles are to be expected with the heat and extra weight I guess.

Kelly, Me, and Tiffany

On to a happier topic...my baby shower was last weekend! It was great to see all my family and friends who came. The food was great, the games were fun, and I got a lot of great presents! My family and Kelly worked hard to put it altogether and did a great job! Enjoy the pics!

My mom and I

A namesake book for Olivia

Sarah and I

Me with Katlyn and Charlotte

Sarah, Me, Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Patty

Finished Nursery and Prenatal Yoga

As you can see from the picture, our glider came in and we picked it up on Saturday. The nursery is now pretty much finished, which I am happy about. I know I still have enough time left, but I am anxious for everything to be ready to go.

Since we drove down to Northern Cincinnati to pick up the glider, we decided to stop by Ikea on the way back home. That's where Yusaku found the little stuffed soccer ball I am holding. This is for Olivia as it has been decided that she WILL play soccer! :) We even let Lucy upstairs to check out the room - a special treat for her since she's not usually allowed upstairs.

I am 31 weeks today and getting more and more anxious to meet Olivia. I can't wait to see what she looks like (among other things)! I hope the next two months go by quickly!

Last Wednesday I went to a prenatal yoga class. It's the first yoga class of any sort that I've ever taken. I was a little nervous that it would be hard or I would look stupid doing it, but it went pretty well. It's pretty low intensity. There were a lot of pregnant women there. Apparently, there were about twice as many people there as normal. (I swear that everywhere I go I see pregnant women. I think there's a little baby boom going on or something!) I am planning to go every week from now at least through the end of August. I think it's good for practicing relaxation (lots of breathing), not to mention that it will help me to be more flexible and is supposed to help with some of the discomfort I've been experiencing (i.e. low back pain).

I'll update the blog after my shower this weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing all my friends and family!

The Big Reveal!!!

Things are chugging along. It's hard to believe I'm 29 weeks along and there are only 77 days to go!  Now to get the exciting part...we've decided on a name. We really haven't told many people outside of our parents and our siblings yet. Seeing as how my baby shower is coming up at the end of the month, I figure now would be a good time to share the news. 

Drumroll please......her name will be OLIVIA!!! It's a name we both like and I think it sounds good with Kawai. I think we're set on the middle name too. It will be Japanese, but I think I'll wait to share that til later!

Overall, I feel pretty good except that I can no longer sleep well. It seems like every night I look at the clock every hour. I can't get comfortable...I'm hot, I roll from one side to the other, and I hate sleeping on my sides. I've also been having achy legs lately...kind of a new symptom. I looked it up online. I guess it's normal...something about a hormone that makes your muscle fiber relax and leads to poor circulation, which leads to the achiness.  I go for my next doctor's appointment on Monday so I'll see if my midwife has any advice on how to be more comfortable. After this upcoming appointment, I'll go every two weeks instead of every month.

When summer first started, I was worried I wouldn't have enough to do to keep myself busy and make the time pass. Now it seems like that's not so hard. I've been reading a lot, trying to get in as much as I can because I know once the baby arrives I'm not going to be able to read like this for a while. I just finished The Help, which was wonderful. I've been trying to study my Japanese too thanks to the Rosetta Stone program Yusaku got me for my anniversary present.  I've also been working on cleaning/organizing the basement...something I've put off since bringing everything home for school a month ago.  I've got a little more to do, but it's coming along.  Sarah will be coming home this week and after a little traveling to Chicago and Indy, will be around next week and the week after, which will be nice. She has yet to see me in all my pregnant glory..ha ha! I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of my friends and family at my shower coming up in a few weeks.  I'm off to eat some lunch and maybe be productive! :)